Proverbs 11
18 Evil people get rich for the moment, but the reward of the godly will last.
19 Godly people find life; evil people find death.
Memorizing verse 18 should keep us focused on the long term, the end game; and I love the simplicity of verse 19, it’s almost like the Bible in a nutshell, isn’t it?
But here’s my question, if godly people find life, how can we become godly?
Here’s some insight:
Titus 1
1 This letter is from Paul, a slave of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ. I have been sent to proclaim faith to those God has chosen and to teach them to know the truth that shows them how to live godly lives. 2 This truth gives them confidence that they have eternal life, which God—who does not lie—promised them before the world began.
Wow, these 2 verses say a lot, including:
- You are chosen
- You can learn how to be Godly by knowing the truth
- Truth gives you confidence of having eternal life, which God promises; reiterating Proverbs 11:19
So how can we know the truth?
John 14
6 Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.”
Of course, Jesus is the Truth, and I think we all can conclude that the more we know Him and become like Him the more godly we’ll become. Because, after all, He is God.
John 1
1 In the beginning the Word already existed.
The Word was with God,
and the Word was God.
2 He existed in the beginning with God.…
14 So the Word became human and made his home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen his glory, the glory of the Father’s one and only Son.
I love this passage, don’t you? Jesus is Truth AND He is the Word personified. The Message of God the Father, His Word, was sent to earth to show us who He really is. As it states in Colossians 1: 15a “Christ is the visible image of the invisible God.”
To be certain, in order to be godly, we must know Jesus, personally and His Word, there is no getting around this. The Word teaches us how to pray (Matt 5:15), how to love God (Hosea 6:6), how to relate to others (Gal. 5:13 ), how to conduct our lives (2 Tim. 3:16) and the list goes on and on.
In summary, I’ll make one last connection:
Choosing to read the Bible and submit to the Lord in prayer every day is a daily decision to choose life. Read the Bible in such a way as to seek Him (Psalm 105:4; (2 Chron. 15:2 ).
Are you choosing life?